Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez has announced he intends to challenge Congressman Eli Crane to represent Arizona’s second district.
Nez told the Arizona Daily Sun he’s disappointed with the divisiveness in politics, dysfunction in the capitol and the role the state’s representatives play in that dysfunction.
Crane was one of eight Republicans who voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House earlier this month. He was elected in 2022 and represents Arizona's 2nd Congressional District, which covers a large portion of northern and eastern Arizona.
I’m running to represent #AZ02 in the U.S. House!
— Jonathan Nez (@NezForAZ) October 16, 2023
Arizonans deserve leaders in Congress who work for them, not extremists trying to score political points—I'll always put rural AZ before DC politics.
Help support my campaign by chipping in here: https://t.co/wSCdPQpf7P#Nez4AZ pic.twitter.com/hjpp1gtr4g
Nez says he hopes to return politics to a place where members of both parties can work across the aisle to solve the problems faced by Arizonans.
He previously served as the president of the Navajo Nation from 2019 to 2023. Nez lost reelection to current president Buu Nygren last year.
If elected, Nez would be the first Native American to represent Arizona in Congress.